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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29855994">Now or Never</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryleighjosephinne/pseuds/ryleighjosephinne'>ryleighjosephinne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Outer Banks (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Danger, F/M, Fights, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Love Confessions, So much angst, rebellious!Kiara</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:08:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,923</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29855994</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryleighjosephinne/pseuds/ryleighjosephinne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kie has been getting into a lot of dangerous situations lately. JJ has had it up to here with her putting herself in danger.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>JJ &amp; Kiara (Outer Banks)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Now or Never</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kiara has been getting into far too much danger lately for his taste. </p>
<p>Which, in her defense, is any danger whatsoever but as of late it's been like something inside of her snapped and now she makes dangerous plans without thinking of their consequences. He's become the voice of reason. And JJ Maybanks is not a man who is supposed to be reasonable, no, he is supposed to be the one making dangerous, downright stupid plans and she's supposed to be the one who tells him he's being, as she used to call it, "A fucking idiot who needs to get your head on straight before you go and get yourself killed!"</p>
<p>So when she walks into the Chateau one day with a look that says she's about to or has already done something stupid he can't help but feel the need to scream. "I think I'm going to go confront your father," she says and he spits out his sip of beer all around him. She's going to do what?! What the hell is she thinking? Does she have any self preservation instincts?</p>
<p>"No, you're not," he says, trying to keep his voice even. "You're going to stay as far away from him as possible. He wants to hurt all of us, Kie." He wanted to scream at her  she was being an idiot and she must have a death wish if she's planning on going to confront his father but of course he knows she'd only be more invigorated to hurt him. "Come on, I know that's a bad idea and I'm the king of doing things that are bad ideas." He's not wrong with his description of himself either but still, Kiara Carerra being in the amount of danger she wants to put herself into is making his blood boil while simultaneously making him want to cry and throw up. It's confusing, alright? </p>
<p>"I'm going. I'll be fine. You're just being overprotective. It's not cute anymore, JJ, it's annoying as all hell. You are the most overprotective man ever and I don't need someone to protect me. I can do it myself." She sounds scarily like him to the point that he's worried for her mental health.</p>
<p>"Like hell you are. Kie, I can't let you go and put your life at risk just to hurt my father. You're not going, end of story. I'm not letting you go without me and you're sure as hell not getting me to go there. The man wants me dead, he wants everyone I'm friends with dead and he wants you dead most of all!" Probably should've left the last part out; now she's going to want details.</p>
<p>One of those details may be he's in love with her. </p>
<p>Not that that's a bad thing or anything but it's definitely not a detail that's helpful to his case the reason she shouldn't go is because his father is a monster. It's not the only reason she shouldn't go but still. Luke Maybank's version of paternal love is beating the shit out of his kid whenever he can. Anyone who he cares about is seen as a bad person because who could give a damn in any positive way about JJ? Not his own father, not his mother that's for sure. His father was convinced that all the wrongs in the world, his mother's death and his own issues with holding down any kind of stable job were because of JJ. And now Kie wants to go there and confront the bastard. </p>
<p>"You are not my protector, JJ. I'm going. If you want you can tag along but I don't want you getting hurt. Why do you care so much anyways?" Her decision is made, he won't be able to talk her out of it. Doesn't mean he won't try, however, to do so. </p>
<p>"Why do I care? Let's see, who bandages me up every time my dad beats on me? Who yells at me for getting into stupid fights or getting arrested? Who taught me that my life was worth something even if I couldn't see it? Who held me while I was sobbing because my mom had died and the next day was willing to forget it even happened at all? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't John B, it wasn't Pope, it was you Kie! I'm not letting you go put your own life at risk so you can have a confrontation with my father," JJ exclaims and she stands the same way she was before, facial expression the same as though nothing he's saying is registering. </p>
<p>"That's not your choice to make. I want him to pay for hurting you, for damn near breaking your spirit. I want him to be in more pain than you've ever been in and you're not going to be able to stop me. You can join me or hear about it later. Your choice. Which will it be?" This is not Kiara Carerra speaking, this is some version of her that's got her body but sounds like JJ more than she does the Kie he loves and grew up with. </p>
<p>"Neither of us are going to see that dickhead, alright? He deserves nothing. You taught me that. And now you're going off to risk your fucking life. Tell me, do you have a fucking death wish Kiara?" JJ almost never used her first name, for JJ and Kiara and JJ and Kie are two very different duos. JJ and Kie flirted (jokingly, of course), joked around and couldn't be serious for more than fifteen seconds at a time most of the time. JJ and Kiara were far more serious; they would either fight or be comforting each other, like after John B and Sarah died. The pair had become damn near inseparable, even by Pogue standards and to Pope's disgust.</p>
<p>Being inseparable by Pogue standards was no small feat either, he'd have you know. </p>
<p>The Pogues were all a naturally touchy group (proven even more when Kie had made them take a test for whatever the fuck a love language was- apparently sex is not an appropriate answer to that, he learned that the hard way and all of them got physical touch) and spending even three days away from each other with no communication was unheard of unless someone was seriously grounded. Even then, they're all good at sneaking in and so the group would spend the night or whole day together, being sure to make sure no one's parents found out where they were because then their routine would be broken and someone may genuinely have to stay away from their fellow, as Anna Carerra had put it once, gremlins. </p>
<p>"No, JJ, I don't have a death wish. I'm not going to let that alcoholic piece of shit get to you ever again," Kiara says far too calm. She's far too at peace with this choice; it might be time someone yells at her. Not him, he couldn't do that, but someone should. Maybe Pope could do it. "Why the hell do you care anyways? You know what my mom did."</p>
<p>That's true, he does know what her mother did. She gave Kie a choice, either she stay with the Pogues or keeps her trust fund. Considering that the idea of even having a trust fund felt unfair to her (something about starving children in Africa or something equally corny), she chose Pogue life. Her mom almost kicked her out because of that, saying that she had ruined her reputation hanging out with the likes of the boys. After all, JJ had a criminal record longer than the terms and services of Apple at this rate, John B was, well, he was dead now so she had less of a leg to stand on for hating him but before that he had not exactly been the most civilized human ever. Pope was a nerd, plain and simple. While the Pouges loved it, her mother felt completely differently. She felt as though he was the most civil of the bunch, but also felt his nerdiness would only hurt her daughter's reputation. If Mike hadn't intervened and stopped her, Kie would have been on the streets, probably living at the Chateau with JJ. </p>
<p>Not that it has any relevance, but her mom doing that did make her turn into some female version of JJ. It was hot for a few weeks but now it worried him. Eventually, the hotness of someone who used to call your plans that bordered on war crimes stupid and immature suggesting a plan runs stale. "I know what your mom did but what the fuck does that have to do with my dad? Kiara, it doesn't! I appreciate the search for vengeance but there's so many other things to do like, I don't fucking know, play Mario Kart. Or go surfing. Anything but going back there."</p>
<p>"I'm going to make him regret what he did to you, to your mom! Don't you want revenge?" She asks and that was way too far. JJ's mom had been beaten to death by Luke in a drunken rage. He'd even been placed in foster care for a little while (leading to a hatred for all government officials and selecting anarchist as his political perspective) because of it. But Kie knows not to bring this up, ever. Kiara, on the other hand, doesn't. It's strange how one girl's nickname can affect her personality so much.</p>
<p>"My mom? I want revenge for her, of course I do! I want to give the cops the evidence that proves she didn't die whatever bullshit way my dad said she did, that he beat her to death and he would've done the same to me!" Even with his proclamation, she looks unaffected. "What the fuck happened to Kie?" He asks, hoping to get through to her. "The one who wanted to live her life on her own terms and didn't take shit from anyone but she cared. She wasn't a fucking robot, she was a human. In fact, Kie was the only one capable of having an emotionally conversation out of us Pogues. When the fuck did the girl I love get replaced with this robot who's only out for revenge and plots to hurt people because I don't recognize you anymore, Kiara! I don't and I wish I did but you're not the same girl you were when I fell in love with you. Starting fights? I want my friend back so where the fuck did she go and when can she come back?"</p>
<p>"You what?" She asks, voice barely above a whisper. "You're in love with me? Like, you love me?" He hadn't meant to let that detail slip out but now he had. Cat's out of the bag, he supposes. "Or, let me correct myself, you're in love with the version of me who wasn't a badass?"</p>
<p>"You've always been a badass," he smiles and she swats at him and for a moment everything feels way too normal. Of course, normal by their standards isn't necessarily normal by anyone else's, but they've never given a fuck. "But yes, I'm in love with you. It'd be a hell of a lot easier to say that to you if you weren't going full revenge robot on me but I do-"</p>
<p>She cuts him off with a kiss, one that somehow leaves him breathless even though it only lasts a few seconds. "I love you too."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I may have written this to feed the need for angst I feel in my soul but not too angsty because then I'd cry.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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